jim_seines

Good questions. My wife sees the world with an eye towards human interest photos, though she definitely has an eyes for artistic nature shots, landscapes, etc. What she wants is a great lens that will allow her to catch people during those unguarded moments that define the true nature of human interaction, a view that probably reflect the mentoring she received under her photojournalist father. Hence, she wants a zoom that works well in natural light, both indoor and outdoor. She is a little concerned that the 70-300 might not work as well under those conditions. VR definitely is a benefit for the shooting situations she will find herself in as a tripod is a little invasive during those candid moments.

Thanks for all the responses so far. We just got back from spending the afternoon at Cabrillo

Point in San Diego and my wife definitely was wishing she had something with longer reach

than the 18-70. We stopped by a Ritz Camera this afternoon and looked at both the 55-200

and 70-300 VR lenses. Regarding the weight, don't think that is an issue since I am the one

that is carrying the camera bag... :). She like both and appreciated the overlap she would get

with the 55-200. The issue right now is the lens mount - the 55-200 is plastic while the

70-300 is metal. Not sure how much of an issue that really is, so any advice/thoughts on

this would be helpful. Any thoughts on Sigma or Tamron lenses in this range?

I am sure that this question has been answered quite a few times in one way or another, but I hope I can

prevail upon the collective wisdom one more time for a few ideas!

 

My kids and I purchased a Nikon D80 for my wife's mom's day/birthday present and paired it with a Nikon

18-70mm zoom. I was hoping that the older 70-200mm Zeiss CPU-type lens she had would work, but

unfortunately that was not the case as the lens itself if broken (also the folks at Nelson photo here in San

Diego said it should be replaced as the zoom works on a push/pull basis, which tends to draw dust into

the camera and onto the sensor.

 

So....she loves the camera, is taking some really great photos, but needs a zoom to fill in the gap above

her 18-70. Although I am leaning towards the Nikon 55mm - 200mm f/4-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX VR, the

Nikon 70-300 DX VR lens is pretty interesting and I am sure there are some good Tamron/Sigma

alternatives that should be considered as well.

 

I would appreciate any advice that I can get on what lens to choose (staying within a budget of ~$400 or

less). What has the group's experience been with the 55-200?

 

Thanks in advance!

First I want to say thanks for everyone's input. The camera was a big hit and my wife loves her new "outfit".

 

Unfortunately, the older Zeiss 70-200mm lens is not working with her new camera - it is a CPU-type lens and should work, but there is something wrong with it and the camera cannot correctly read/set the shutter speed. Also, the zoom operates on a pull out/push in basis, which the folks at the local camera store say is a problem with dSLRs as that tends to pull dust into the camera.

 

So now on to Phase II as my wife bats her eyes for a new zoom lens. Specifically, I am looking to get a 70-300mm zoom (or there abouts) to complement the 18-70mm she currently has. The salesperson showed me both a Nikon DX and Tamron model 572D lens (both ~$180) but recommended the Tamron.

 

Any opinions on the relative merits of either lens and/or recommendations for other lenses would be appreciated!!

 

Thanks in advance...

 

Jim

Thanks for all your help! Ordered the camera today with the 18-70mm lens. Good advice on the books - did not pick these up on the order today but will in the future. Is the Nikon Capture NX Mac compatible?

Thanks again - good discussion! Responding back to a previous question, this will not be the first camera in the household. My wife's dad was a photojournalist and taught her the finer points of photography. She had a Nikon FE2 when we got married that she shot with for a number of years. She kinda got out of the game given the cost and has been using my digital Canon pocket camera. She has a real nice Zeiss 55-135 (I think that is right - in any case it is a telephoto zoom lens) for that camera - not sure if that will work with the D80.

Thanks again - very good info. Keep it coming! B&H shows two different versions of the 18-70 lens, one listed as "imported" and the other "Nikon USA". Not sure what the difference is except that the imported version is a little cheaper.

Thanks for the answers so far. She will be using the camera mainly for outdoors stuff - landscapes, her famous "wall art", candid people shots, some sports work at my son's lacrosse games (he plays goalie - why I don't know, but he likes having balls shot at him for some reason!). She will also be doing some work indoors at family events, school, that time of thing. Hope that helps!

I am purchasing a Nikon D80 for my wife (a combination birthday and mom's day present) and am

considering the following package from B&H Photo: Nikon D80, 10.2 Megapixel, SLR Digital Camera with

Nikon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D IF Zoom Nikkor Autofocus Lens (link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/

controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=473605&is=REG&addedTroughType=search). Was

wondering if anyone has any thoughts/opinions on this set-up, in particular the lens choice. After

reading some reviews, I have decided to stay away from the standard Nikon kit with the 18-135 DX lens.

 

Thanks in advance for your guidance!